Stuff & Things

Getting an Export Permit from the Philippines BAI for Marble

Getting Marble’s export permit was a bit difficult, but not because of the process itself. It was getting there that was annoying. Before we headed down to the BAI, we had to stop by the vet to pick up her health certificate. The vet didn’t have a printer in the office so we couldn’t get it on the spot. The problem with that is that the vet is sort of out of the way when it comes to getting transportation to Manila from Antipolo. It is on the road that leads out of town though, so instead of backtracking to the center of town to get an air conditioned FX (a passenger SUV that’s been converted for public transportation) we walked out to the curb and flagged down a Jeepney instead. Thankfully, it was overcast and kinda cool with the breeze since the windows stay open in the passenger area except when it’s raining. Unfortunately, that also meant we got dusty and had black boogers later.

After a tricycle to the vet, a jeepney to Manila, the train to Quezon Ave and then 2 more Jeepney’s to Visaya Avenue by the Quezon Memorial, we finally arrived at our destination.

The Bureau of Animal Industry, National Veterinary Quarantine Services building.

Despite the appearance of this place, the people inside were very efficient and very friendly. The e-mail I’d received from one of the people that works there said the wait time for the export permit was about an hour, but I had everything I needed and was out the door in about 20 minutes. I did have to go around the back of the building to get a dry notary seal stamped into the form, but that only added another 10 minutes, most of which was walking.

The best part of it was that I got the export permit and they converted the veterinary health certificate to a government health certificate (which I didn’t expect), all for the low, low price of free. That’s surprising. The import permit was 650 PHP (about 15 USD). The export permit fee and the fee for the government health certificate in Singapore were 50 SGD (about 38 USD) apiece. I guess that’s how they paid for that big fancy building.

With this out of the way, the only thing left to do with Marble is to stick her in a carrier and show up at the airport with her. I do have to find a hotel that will let me stay there with her in Manila for the night before the flight though. It’s at 7:30 in the morning and it’s impossible to make the commute to Manila at 3:30 AM (it’s 2 hours one way, roughly).

Update (2017): This is a Flickr slideshow of pictures of the cat carrier my wife used in 2011 to bring two cats from the Philippines to New York City. Please note the bolts that were added to the carrier after-market. Make sure you do that. Also, zip-ties were added at the built-in latch points to further secure the carrier. I would bring zip-ties to the airport so that you can secure the door after the airport personnel are satisfied that they don’t have to open the door. Include a bowl for water and food. Ask that your pet be provided with water. Put blankets in the carrier so your pet(s) can stay warm.

Most importantly, keep this as your second or last option. Check with your airline to see if you can bring your pet in the cabin with you in a smaller pet carrier. Check with your airline for permission and/or requirements and fees.

Hiya. Sorry for the late reply. We did not take our cat the BAI. The health certificate from the local vet was in lieu of taking the cat to the BAI. As for carriers, I’ll take some pictures of the one my wife most recently used when she brought two cats over from the Philippines to New York in 2011 and then put them here as replies.

I decided to add a Flickr photo gallery of the pictures to the bottom of the post along with some additional information. Please check back to see them. =) Best of luck to you and your pet in your upcoming journey.

Hi! This was really helpful! Anyways, I have a flight from manila to Los Angeles in September 5 and one of the requirements is a screwworm test within 5 days of the flight. Did you have to do that? And how much did you pay for? What about an anti rabies certificate? How much was your health certificate? Thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m sorry for the late reply. We didn’t have to do a screw worm test. I think that might be dependent on the state you fly in to. We also didn’t get an anti-rabies certificate. Our cats just had to have a rabies shot within I think it was a month of the flight. That was a prerequisite to getting the health certificate, which I took to the BAI to get converted into a government health certificate.

Hi Brad! For the rabies shot, is the rabies shot suppose to be given at least 30 days before the flight or within 30 days before? My Chihuahua had his last rabies shot February 4, 2017, which is active until February 4, 2018. Does he need another shot before we travel? Thank you!

I’ve scoured the internet for any and all info and you’ve helped me the most, thank you. I was just wondering if you could walk me through the vet certificate? Did your vet do it all themselves? What info exactly did you have on it? Could any old vet just type it up or is it a particular vet that has to make it? Will they convert it into a gov’t health cert for anyone? Thank you!

Hi. Sorry for the delayed reply. It’s been quite a while so on the one hand I’m glad this post is still useful to people, but on the other, I don’t recall the process too well. I would say just check with the vet you go to. They should be able to tell you (without lying about it to make a buck one would hope) whether or not they can provide a veterinary certificate for exporting a pet. Your pet will have to be up to date on shots and will need to have a rabies vaccination at least, I wanna say 3 or 4 weeks prior to the trip. Double check with the vet and BAI. When we took the veterinary certificate with that information on it to BAI they converted it into a BAI certificate. I think the point of doing it that way is to avoid having to bring your pet directly to BAI, which can be a lot of trouble, depending on how far away you live.

Hi. I’m sorry I missed your comment. I know this is probably too late to address your question, but we never went to Cebu so I wouldn’t have been able to provide that information. I hope you were able to find the BAI permit there. The only certification I remember needing was proof of a rabies vaccine that was administered 30 days prior to the trip.

In Cebu City there is a BAI office between Piers 1 & 2 (032 511 0032). We called them a few days ago and they said they could issue the required docs if we bring the vet docs. No need to bring animal. I understand there is also one at Mactan Airport I’m trying to find out info on that, will update.

Hi Bradley. Thanks for this. I just brought my cats to Manila from Guam last June and I had a hellish time at Customs. It was a nightmare and swore not to go through it again. Now that it is time to take them away again. (This time, they are coming to Jordan with me), I have this fear that I will go through the same ordeal again. Reading your experience is very encouraging. One question though, did you have to deal with the guys at Customs before you departed with Marble? Any input is very much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Irish

As best as I can remember, though, the only time I dealt with anyone related to the government or something like customs was when I got the health certificate from the BAI. When I got to the airport, Marble was taken from me at the ticket counter and I didn’t see her again until I landed in New York City. So, I cleared customs without her being with me.

Just an update: As it turns out, I did not have to bring my dog to the Davao Airport Quarantine. I had to go to the vet to get his Health Certificate (Php. 450.00) and all they needed was to see that and they gave me my BAI permit. Very easy. Our flight is on Saturday so hopefully things go smoothly from here…

Hi! I’m glad to hear everything worked out for you. It looks like the process is the same in Davao as it is in Manila, with the only change being that you get the government health certificate from the airport quarantine instead of the BAI office.

Best of luck to you and your dog on the flight! Make sure he has a blanket in the kennel with him. They say the holds are air conditioned to be comfortable, but even the cabin gets chilly.

Thank you, Bradley! I’ll keep posted on our progress (Davao doesn’t have a BAI so the Manila office referred me to our airport’s quarantine to get the requirement) just in case any readers have the same situation. When I lived in Manila and had to bring my dog to Davao, I had to go through the hassle of finding the BAI office which was definitely the trickiest part. Once there it was very quick and easy. I later found out that our airline, Cebu Pacific, has their own veterinarian ready to hand out the shipping papers, so I really didn’t need to go through all that work (they just need updated vaccinations – rabies, specifically.)

Thanks! Once you’ve finished your move and have time, let me know how it went. I want to collate the information people have posted in the comments and add it to the actual post as an update. It will help keep the post relevant and useful to other people.

Hey Bradley, your blog has been very helpful to me. Probably the most helpful resource I’ve found online! My question is, do you think it is necessary for me to go to my vet to get my dog’s health certificate before the BAI, or is it okay to skip that part? Since the BAI gives you a health certificate anyway along with the export permit (I live in Davao and I would have to go to our airport’s quarantine to get our certificates and I was asked to bring my dog for his checkup) so I don’t have to do double. Please let me know. We are flying to the US. Thank you again!

Hi. The reason I took my cat to the vet to get a health certificate there was to avoid the trouble of having to take her all the way to the BAI. I was living in Antipolo at the time and the BAI office we went to was in Manila, so it would have been a pain in the butt. If you can take your dog to the BAI office, then they should probably be able to do both at once. If that’s what they told you to do, then you should be good to go. Just don’t forget the rabies vaccination. That’s pretty much required for all dogs entering the US.

all info it’s been so helpful, Can you tell me if I have to pay airline fee here and again in Manila, or I pay all together in Davao, by the way, I after checking my pets will I see them again in USA? Thanks

I don’t know about that. You’d better call your airline. I booked a flight straight from Manila to New York City. There was a layover in Japan and I wasn’t charged anything extra, so if you book a flight that has a layover in Manila, there’s a good chance you won’t have to pay more. But, if it changes airlines, you may have to pay two fees. For example, if it’s Philippines Airline from Davao to Manila and then Delta from Manila to USA. When you find out, leave a comment to let us know!

(And, of course you would see your pets again in the USA. That’s the whole point of bringing them!)